UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior defender Mieke Schiemann accepted a pinpoint pass from senior+ forward Payton Linnehan and housed the match-winning goal in the 88th minute, propelling No. 6 Penn State women's soccer to a 1-0 win over the UCF Knights Thursday evening on Jeffrey Field.
Penn State climbed to 4-0-1 overall and secured its fourth consecutive win, including the third straight victory against an opponent that was either ranked or receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Nittany Lions righted the ship after consecutive losses to UCF in the 2011 and 2021 campaigns, evening the all-time series up at two wins apiece since the first meeting in 2007. In defeat, the Knights drop to 2-2 through their first four contests, with both losses coming against nationally ranked foes.
PSU's dominance inside the friendly confines of Jeffrey Field continued Thursday, with the Blue & White boasting a 3-0-1 ledger at home after the result against UCF. The Nittany Lions have yet to concede a goal on their home pitch in the 2023 season, holding their first four visiting opponents scoreless to open a campaign for the first time since 2011. In the 30-year varsity history of Penn State women's soccer, just the 2000, 2011 and 2023 teams have accomplished that feat.
The Berlin, Germany, native Schiemann registered her first scoring match of the 2023 season, banging in her fourth collegiate goal overall in addition to her first score since a Sept. 8, 2022, meeting with Liberty in University Park. Schiemann was credited with a quartet of shots on the night with three on target, finishing with a season-high 71 minutes played. Linnehan recorded the first assist of her fifth-year campaign, her second scoring match of the season.
With UCF forced to play shorthanded due to a red card issued to fifth-year midfielder Sanja Homann, Penn State was able to rack up dominant statistical advantages across the board. The Nittany Lions totaled 26 shots on the night, a season-high against Division I opposition, while registering a dozen shots on goal. The Knights tallied just four total shots with three on-target attempts by comparison. PSU also dominated the corner kick battle, 9-2, outpacing its opponent in the category for just the second time this year.
In goal for the Nittany Lions, graduate keeper Katherine Asman mustered her third complete-match shutout of the 2023 season and second consecutive, moving into a tie for fifth place all-time in the Penn State record book for clean sheets after securing her 21st Thursday night. The Roswell, Georgia, native ties program legends Amanda Brown and Erin McLeod at the No. 5 spot. Overall, Asman finished with three saves and zero goals conceded in her 90 minutes of work, improving to 4-0-1 in her graduate season. For UCF, fifth-year goaltender Caroline DeLisle published a valiant 10-save outing in 90 minutes, allowing one goal with an additional team save credited to the Knight backline.
Penn State dominated the early moments of the match, crushing UCF in the possession battle while recording the first two corners and inaugural trio of shots in the contest. In the ninth minute, senior midfielder Natalie Wilson and Linnehan both attempted shots on target that were turned away by DeLisle to keep things scoreless. A pivotal moment in the match came at the 30-minute mark, as Homann was shown her first yellow card for unsporting behavior.
With the opening 45 wearing on, the Nittany Lions continued to dominate the stat sheet, as Linnehan, redshirt senior+ midfielder Rowan Lapi and sophomore midfielder Olivia Borgen all added shots that failed to reach the back of the net. By the match's intermission, Penn State owned a 7-2 edge on the shot chart, including a pair of attempts that struck the right post of the UCF goal beyond the keeper's reach, but both squads returned to the locker room without an opening goal.
UCF briefly found new life to start the second stanza, as senior midfielder Katie Bradley pelted a ball through a gap in the Nittany Lion line that was turned back by a diving Asman in the 47th minute. Less than five minutes later, Homann was charged with her second yellow card of the match, culminating in a red card for persistent infringement. With approximately half an hour left to play, the Blue & White were granted a woman advantage.
The Knights responded with a variety of defensive-minded substitutions, with as many as seven Knight defenders packing the back line to prevent a Nittany Lion match-winner. In the aftermath of the UCF red card, PSU racked up a total of six corner kick attempts coupled with a litany of shots that resulted in eight saves for the visiting squad. With time winding down, the Nittany Lions remained desperate for the opening score. In the 88th minute, Linnehan outpaced a pair of UCF defenders down the right side of the penalty box and fed the ball back to Schiemann at the far corner of the goal area. Her right-footed chip shot coasted into the back of the net, and PSU closed the night out with a one-goal win.
SCORING SUMMARY
88' – Linnehan outpaced a pair of UCF defenders down the right side of the penalty box and fed the ball back to Schiemann at the far corner of the goal area, whose right-footed chip shot coasted into the back of the net. PSU 1, UCF 0
UP NEXT
No. 6 Penn State women's soccer prepares for the third match of its five-match homestand this weekend, as the Nittany Lions play host to the Monmouth Hawks on Sunday, Sept. 3 in a 1 p.m. (ET) fixture from Jeffrey Field. Live streaming is available to a worldwide audience of authenticated subscribers via B1G+.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women's soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women's soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team's Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.
The 30th Season of Penn State women's soccer is presented by the Smeal College of Business.
